Method of filling two compartment container



United States Patent lnventor Philip Meshberg 15 Stoneleigh Road,Fairlield, Conn. 06430 Appl. No. 820,500

Filed Apr. 30, 1969 Division of Ser. No. 704,028, Felt. 8, 1968, PatentNo. 3,455,489.

Patented Dec. 29, 1970 METHOD OF FILLING TWO COMPARTMENT CONTAINER lll l'r 'i'lii 'lh [50] Field of Search 53/36; l41/3,9, 20,100, 103, 104;222/136(Cursory),

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,169,670 2/1965 Hrebenak etal. l4l/3X 3,255,786 6/1966 Kaiser, Jr 141/3 Primary Examiner- LaverneD. Geiger Assistant Examiner-Edward J. Earls Attorney-Johnson and KlineABSTRACT: The method of filling two different compartments of an aerosolcontainer selectively through a singledispensing valve to produce adevice for storing the 'two materials and for simultaneously dispensingthe same.

METHOD OF FILLING TWO COMPARTMENT CONTAINER This application is adivision of my copending application Ser. No. 704,028, filed Feb. 8,1968 now Pat. No. 3,455,489.

The present invention provides a structure which is very versatile inuse and one which can be filled in a simple, yet effective manner toprovide for the storage of two different materials and the dispensing ofsaid materials simultaneously. For example, the two compartments canindependently receive and store difierent materials until they aresimultaneously dispensed, all by the single valve means, to mix and/orcombine chemically into a desired product. The materials for eachcompartment can be a concentrate or composition to be dispensed and ausual liquid propellent, such as Freon, or an immiscible gas underpressure, such as nitrogen, or the like propellent.

If it is desired to dispense one composition and to provide additionalbooster pressure during the dispensing operation, one of thecompartments can contain the concentrate or composition plus itspropellent, and the other compartment can provide an additionalpropellent under pressure which, when the valve is operated, will supplythe booster pressure to the dispensed material.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision in the singlevalve means, of valving constructions which will enable the twocompartments to be selectively and individually filled by means of thesaid valve means in a simple and expeditious manner.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thespecification and claims when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is an enlarged longitudinal fragmentary sectional view of thevalve means on the container having two compartments in nondispensingposition.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the valve means in dispensingposition.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, showing the filling ofthe outer compartment through the valve means.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, showing the filling ofthe inner compartmentthrough the valve means.

As shown in the drawings there is a canister or container having anopening in one end in which a valve means 11 is mounted by means of amounting cup 12 having its edges secured to the container as at 13 toclose the same with said valve means providing the means for dispensingmaterial from the container. The valve means includes a tubular housing14, the outer end of which is closed by a sealing washer 15 which ispressed against the undersurface of the mounting cup as the the edge 14aof the housing is secured thereto by crimping of the cup 12 as shown inFIG. 1.

The mounting cup and sealing washer have apertures 16, 17 through whichan outer portion 18a of a reciprocating twopart valve stem 18 projects,as shown in FIG. 1, with the washer sealingly engaging the valve stem.The outer portion of the valve stem has a discharge port 19 whichconnects to a longitudinal passage 20 in the stem portion 18a whichextends to the outer end of the stem. An actuating or dispensing button21 is secured on stem portion 18a and has a nozzle means 22 connected tothe passage 20.

The other or inner portion 18b of the valve stem is a hollow, tubularmember having the inner end 23 closed and is sealingly slidable in anaperture 25 in a transverse wall 25a formed intermediate the ends of thehousings. The washer 15 and wall 25a fon'n a chamber 26 in the housing.

The stem portion 18b has a side port 24 which extends into the hollowinterior thereof and is so located that it is above the transverse wall25a in normal nondispensing position, is moved below the sealing wall25a in one filling and in the dispensing position and will be sealed bythe wall in another filling position as will be explained.

The outer end of the inner stem portion 18b is open and the inner end ofthe stem portion 180 is inserted therein. As shown in FIG. 1, the stemportion 18b is provided with a sealing shoulder 27 which is pressed intoengagement with the washer 15 by a spring 28 in the normal nondispensingposition and permits it to move inwardly to a dispensing position shownin FIG. 2. The portion of the stem portion 18a extending into the openouter end of the portion 18b has passages 29 formed therein extendingfrom the interior of the hollow stem 18b to the chamber when the stem isin dispensing position.

According to the present invention the container has two separatecompartments for storing and maintaining separate two differentmaterials. While these may take various forms, such as side-by-sidecompartments or upper and lower compartments, in the form of theinvention illustrated herein they are concentric with the interior ofthe container 10 forming an outer compartment 30, and a hollow rigidunit 31 is disposed within the container 10 to surround the housing andis sealed from the first compartment 30 so as to form the second orinner compartment 32. The inner end of the housing communicates, as by adip tube 33, with the inner part of the compartment 30 and the upperpart of the chamber in the housing communicates by passage means 34,illustrated as being formed in the walls of the housing, with the innerend of the compartment 32 so that both compartments can be connected tothe chamber 26 in the housing during a dispensing operation and can beindividually filled as will be explained.

With this construction the inner compartment 32 and outer compartment 30can be filled with a material to be dispensed, usually comprising aconcentrate or composition and a propellent, either a liquid propellentsuch as Freon, or a gaseous propellent, such as nitrogen or the likegas. The two chambers 30, 32, as shown in the drawings,- each have ahead space 30a, 32a in which the gaseous phase of the liquid propellentor the gaseous propellent under pressure is disposed for forcing thematerial through the dip tube 33 or passage 34 to the chamber to bedispensed therefrom, in which chamber the concentrates are mixed and/orchemically combined into the desired product to be dispensed.

If it should be desired merely to dispense one material but provide abooster pressure during the dispensing operation, the concentrate, forexample, can be omitted from the chamber 32 and it can be filled with apropellent, for example, a gaseous material under pressure which will beforced into the chamber and provide the necessary additional pressure tothe dispensed composition, 'to provide a booster pressure therefor.

In the nondispensing position of the stem in FIG. 1 it will be notedthat the shoulder 27 seals the compartment 32 from the discharge portand the end portion 18b of the stem cooperates with the sealing wall 25ato seal the compartment 30 both from the discharge port and also fromthe compartment 32 so that no mixture of the material in the twocompartments can occur prior to the dispensing operation. When the stemis moved to the dispensing position of FIG. 2 by pressure applied in thedirection of arrow A, the seals are broken and the discharge port 19 isrendered operative to receive material from the chamber 26 whichincludes material from compartment 32 through passage 34, as indicatedby arrow B, and material from compartment 30 through dip tube 33, sideport 24, hollow stem 18b, and passage 29 as indicated by arrows C. Thusthe valve means seals both of the compartments from each other and fromthe dispensing port in nondispensing position and opens both of thecompartments to the dispensing portion for simultaneous discharge in adispensing position to automatically dispense a mixture or combinationof the materials. By controlling the pressures and the location and sizeof the ports and passages through which the materials pass, an accuratecontrol of the combination or mixture can be achieved.

Thus it will be seen that the device of the present invention will storein separate compartments different materials and/or using differenttypes of propellents and has valve means that will maintain thecompartments sealed in nondispensing position position and willsimultaneously open both compartments so that the materials are mixed orchemically combined to produce the desired product.

Another important feature of my invention resides in the fact that thetwo compartments can be individually filled with material by means ofthe valve means after the valve means has been secured to the container.This is done by separate valving constructions forming a part of thevalve means.

In the illustrated form of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, theouter end 180 of the stem is removed. A filling nozzle 50 having athrough bore 51 is inserted through the apertures l6, 17 in the mountingcup 12 and sealing washer 15. The end sealingly engages the open end ofthe stem portion 18b and the stem portion is depressed so that it slidesin the aperture 25 to the position shown in FIG. 3 wherein the side port24 is moved below the transverse sealing wall 250, which wall seals theinner end of the chamber 26. Material is fed under pressure through thebore 51. interior of the stem portion 18b to the side port 24, to thedip tube 33 and into the compartment 30 to fill the same.

To fill the compartment 32 a second nozzle 50a having a side port 51a isinserted through the apertures l6, 17 in the mounting cup 12 and sealingwasher l and into a closing relation with the end of the portion 18b ofthe stem. The stem portion is moved inwardly to the position shown inFIG. 4 wherein the port 24 is sealed by the transverse wall 25a and theside port 51a of the nozzle means opens into the chamber 26 so thatmaterial which is fed through the nozzle passes into the chamber 26,through passage 34 to the compartment 32 to fill the same.

Thus the device of the present invention not only provides for effectivestorage and simultaneous discharge of two different materials but alsoprovides a simple and effective means for selectively filling the twocompartments by the single valve means.

, Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of theinvention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

lclaim:

l. The method of filling a two-compartment container through a valvemeans mounted on the container and having a single valve stemreciprocating in a housing, said housing having sealing means at anouter end thereof provided with an aperture through which the stempasses and a transverse sealing wall intermediate the ends thereofforming a chamber, said stem comprising an inner and outer portion, theouter portion being sealably slidable in said aperture in the sealingmeans and being removed during the filling and the inner portion beingtubular, hollow, and closed at the inner end and having its outer endnormally urged into sealing relation with the sealing means with theinner end of the stem sealingly engaging the transverse wall, said innerportion of the stem having a port in the sidewall adapted to be sealedby the transverse wall or to bypass said wall, said housing having afirst means at the inner end forming a passage communicating with thebottom one of said compartments and having a second means adjacent theouter end thereof forming a passage communicating the chamber with thebottom of said other compartment, the steps of inserting a fillingnozzle having a through bore into sealing relation with the end of saidinner stem portion and moving the inner portion inwardly until the portin the side of the stem bypasses the transverse sealing wall, feedingmaterial through the stem, through the port to the inner end of thehousing and through said passage into said one compartment to fill thesame, terminating the feeding of the material after said one compartmenthas received a predetermined charge, removing said filling nozzlethereby allowing said stem to move into sealing relation with thesealing means, inserting a second filling nozzle having a closed end andside filling port into engagement with the end of said inner stemportion to seal the same, and pushing the stem inwardly to move thefilling port into the chamber of the housing and the side port of thestem in sealing relation with said transverse wall, and feeding adifferent material through the filling port to the chamber of thehousing through said passage and into the other compartmentcommunicating therewith to fill the same with material.

